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Maturing as Believers - Promise

 

We are looking at what it means to grow spiritually as a believer. We looked at the foundation of the Christian life that must be faith in Jesus Christ. Then we must add virtue or courage as the word is defined, and then knowledge of God. Then we learned temperance or self-control, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity.

We are to grow as Christians as we are told in 2 Peter 3:18 - But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen.

So, what is the result of growing in grace, this process of adding to our faith, courage and knowledge and self–control and patience and godliness and love of the brethren and love for the outsider.

We are told in 2 Peter 1:8 - For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

You see from verse 8, the Apostle Peter is not talking about external things, he is talking about what is in us as believers. When these virtues are in us and abound, you see when we add these virtues to our faith, God blesses and we can abound in these virtues.

When God blesses and we begin to abound, then we won’t be barren, or unfruitful in our Christian life. Barren speaks of idleness, we can’t sit on the sidelines and expect to be blessed. Unfruitful is talking about the fruits of the Spirit. This speaks of inward blessing because we are abounding in these virtues. The fruits of the Spirit are listed in Galatians 5:22 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 

Galatians 5:23 - Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 

Then comes a caution that we will look at in the next devotion.